World Bank forecasts 5 pct growth rate for Mali's economy

BAMAKO, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- A World Bank quarterly report on Mali's macro-economic situation has forecasted that the country's economy may regain its growth tendencies and grow at the rate of 5 percent in 2013.

The report which was released on Sunday in Bamako by the World Bank Country director for operations, Ousmane Diagana, showed that Mali's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) had shrunk by 1.5 percent in 2012.

The report noted that the country's economy is likely to grow due to the good performance in the agricultural sub-sector as well as in the gold mining sector.

Mali's Finance Minister Tiena Coulibaly said that the World Bank's quarterly report on his country "was well done" because it took into account the reality of Mali's economic situation in 2012.

Diagana announced that the World Bank "will resume its budgetary support for Mali to the initial levels of between 30 million to 50 million U.S. dollars."

Following the coup d'etat on March 22, 2012, the World Bank suspended its cooperation with Mali.